BY FRAN JEWELL
An energetic puppy sure can be hard to live with! A smart puppy is inquisitive and busy. Much of her energy can be enjoyable as we watch her explore and learn about life every day. It can wear us out just as fast as your pup can make it from one end of the house to the other!
There is so much encouragement to exercise puppies to tire them out so they are easier to live with. This is very true, but there can be some physical dangers to OVER-exercise. Young puppies are growing and need to play to grow to be the best they can be. However, somewhere we have equated physical exercise as the only way to do that. A very energetic puppy can force us to spend way too much time running pups on the bike path (which is a hard, hot surface in the summer and can be very hard on their feet in the winter) or for long walks in the woods. Those long walks in the woods or on many of our trails can be extremely dangerous because of the interface with winter wildlife.
The question then becomes, how DO YOU exercise a puppy to take the edge off. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise. In fact, some training and exploration time at home can produce a tired, happy and emotionally fulfilled and well-adjusted puppy, too. I hear all the time that after I leave from a lesson, a puppy will sleep for hours.
Scenting games use up enormous amounts of energy. House or yard time can be just as exhausting for your pup if you do some simple planning. Food-dispensing toys for every meal can use enormous amounts of energy. Hiding portions of meals around the house for your pup to find is another excellent educational game. In the summer, you can toss your pup’s entire meal out into the grass for him to find. There are new “snuffle pads” that mimic grass. You put food in the pad for dogs to snuffle and eat. You can place a food trail around your yard. Just walk around your yard with the food bowl and drop food in your tracks as you walk. Then, let your pup out to follow the food steps for her meal. If you go on a walk, leave your pup in the car and place a food trail for her to follow when she gets out.
I teach all my puppies to use their noses. Some pups are naturals, but others take a little effort to teach. It doesn’t matter, though. Scent work really uses up so much energy and is SO much fun for your pup.
Of course, there is the brutal commitment to “training!” Yes, puppies take a commitment to train. However, training basic obedience can be so much fun for both of you and help build an everlasting bond. When we do manner training, puppies feel much more comfort in your home. They know what the rules are. So many times I see that an over-energetic puppy is actually expressing its anxiety over not knowing what the rules are. Some simple rules include off the counter, sleeping in a bed or crate, or even learning how to sit at doors to keep you safe from being run over. Think about yourself. Have you ever gone to a new job and no one tells you what they expect of you, then they yell at you when you do something wrong? That is anxiety and dogs can feel anxiety from not being shown what the rules are at home. Expression of that anxiety in dogs can be frantic, overexcited behavior.
Walks are great for training a puppy to “come” and take some energy off. Just don’t forget the quiet, educational games you can do with your pup at home to take the energy off. There are just so many fun things to do.
